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Greece Hit by General Strike to Protest Austerity

Greek workers went on strike on Tuesday to protest government plans to fire thousands of public sector employees.Credit
John Kolesidis/Reuters

ATHENS — Thousands of Greeks walked off the job Tuesday in a 24-hour general strike called by unions opposing a new round of austerity measures that the government has vowed to enact at the urging of the country’s foreign creditors. The sorest point is a much-delayed overhaul of the Civil Service involving thousands of layoffs and wage cuts, which is set for a vote in Parliament on Wednesday night. The package must be passed if Athens is to secure the first installment of $9 billion in rescue loans approved last week by euro zone finance ministers.

Despite strong objections by the political opposition, and by some deputies in the ruling coalition, the package is expected to squeak through the 300-seat Parliament where the government has a slim majority of five. Implementation of the contentious reforms will remain a tough challenge however in a volatile political climate.

The nationwide walkout, called by the country’s two main labor unions, which represent some 2.5 million workers, shut tax offices and other government services, reduced hospitals to emergency staff and disrupted travel. Trains remained in depots and international flights were suspended between noon and 4 p.m. as air traffic controllers joined the action. Public transport workers were running a reduced service to allow Greeks to join protest rallies planned for Athens and other major cities.

The unions’ appeal drew some 16,000 demonstrators onto the streets of the capital, according to a police spokesman who said the rally was “entirely peaceful.” Strikes have become a frequent occurrence as Greece’s economic crisis continues into its fourth year. The turnout Tuesday was moderate by Greek standards, in part because many people, particularly students and civil servants, have left Athens for their villages for the summer break.

But civil servants who attended the rally expressed concerns about losing their jobs in the public sector overhaul, particularly those close to retirement. “I’ve been in this job for more than 20 years,” said Manos Stefanakis, a 53-year-old school janitor who was holding a banner reading “let’s lay off the government.”

“Who’s going to employ me after this? No one will give me work and I can’t retire. I’m finished.”

Greece’s troika of foreign lenders — the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund — have agreed to extend the country two bailouts worth a little more than $300 billion since the spring of 2010 but are dispensing the aid in tranches to keep the pressure on authorities to adhere to commitments to change.

The proposed changes that have most angered the unions are plans to put 25,000 civil servants, including teachers and municipal police officers, into a so-called mobility plan by the end of the year, docking their wages ahead of forced transfers or dismissals. An additional 15,000 workers are to be laid off by the end of 2014.

Local government employees have been occupying city buildings this week to protest the changes which, the unions say, will aggravate a deepening recession and add to the ranks of the unemployed who already account for more than 27 percent of the population.

“We will resist all those whose wrongheaded and dead-end choices have led the Greek people into poverty and wretchedness,” said the main private sector labor union, Gsee, which called the action with the civil servants’ union, Adedy.

A unilateral decision last month by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to shut the state broadcaster ERT, putting some 2,700 employees out of work, nearly brought down his shaky coalition after the junior partner quit in protest. The debacle illustrated the difficulties the administration would have in honoring pledges to creditors to slash a Civil Service that has been cosseted for decades.

Despite the vehement opposition of unions and workers, Greece’s lenders, prodded by Germany, have pressed authorities to stay the course of reform. Public anger at austerity is expected to flare again on Thursday when Germany’s finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, is to visit Athens.